The History of The Clash

In the history of music, The Clash were one of those bands who simply lived and breathed the urge to bring about positive change through their music and role model. They were dubbed “the only band that matters.” Formed in 1976 in London, The Clash weren’t just another British punk band. They were artists who found themselves engulfed in diverse genres of music including rock, reggae, rockabilly and more.

While their music evoked the spirit of revolution, their lyrics reflected their state of mind and their concern for the future. Each of the two lead songwriters, Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, had their own perspectives, joined in unison through The Clash to affect a better tomorrow. They were rebels, yes, but they were rebels with a social conscience who knew they could speak and influence an impressionable and caring audience with their songs.

While the band broke pretty quickly in Mother England with other huge British acts like The Jam, Sex Pistols and the Buzzcocks in the late 70s, it took a little while for the music to be widely embraced in the United States. In 1982, the band impacted the America with their critically-acclaimed album Combat Rock, which spawned the hits “Should I Stay Or Should I Go,” “Rock the Casbah” and “Straight To Hell.”

They became politically charged international troubadours protesting all that was wrong in the world, true champions of the middle class. Strummer, born John Graham Mellor, really began paying attention to music during his childhood boarding school years. He didn’t exactly live a middle class life, but he grew an admiration for socially conscious songwriter-artists like Woody Guthrie, even giving himself the nickname Woody.

As Strummer grew into a young man, he started playing in a band called the 101’ers, while Mick Jones rocked around town with his band called the London SS with childhood friend bassist Paul Simonon and drummer Terry Chimes.  Influenced by the Sex Pistols’ tougher persona, Strummer left the 101’ers and decided to form a band with a harder sound and found the London SS with his former bandmate guitarist Keith Levene. The band then rechristened themselves The Clash. As fate would have it, their first show together was a gig supporting the Sex Pistols in London, and then later continued on the Anarchy Tour with the Pistols.

Next up for The Clash was a record deal. The band signed a deal with British CBS the following year and recorded their self-titled debut album. Chimes left the band and was replaced by Topper Headon on drums. The band released their first single, “White Riot,” and hit the charts at number 12. The album wasn’t released in the States right away because CBS decided it was unfit for radio, but with the popularity overseas, they should have known that nothing could hold The Clash down. The album ended up becoming the largest-selling import ever.

The roller coaster ride continued as the White Riot tour began with The Jam and The Buzzcocks supporting. Their rebellious nature shined when CBS nixed “Remote Control” as a single – the band teamed up with Lee “Scratch” Perry and recorded “Complete Control.”

While Strummer and Jones developed a history of fighting the law (and the law winning) for minor slaps on the wrist and Simonon and Headon were a little kookier with their racing pigeon incident, The Clash soon became more active in their desire for social change. They headlined a Rock Against Racism concert and then released the song, “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais.”

In 1978, the group released their sophomore effort, Give ‘Em Enough Rope, which was produced by former Blue Oyster Cult-er Sandy Pearlman. The record was hot at number two in the U.K. but peaked at 128 in the States. This didn’t discourage them. They trekked on the following year on their first U.S. tour called Pearl Harbor ’79. Then they recorded Bobby Fuller Four’s “I Fought the Law” on The Cost of Living EP.

What was so great about The Clash was that they weren’t afraid to be different. They weren’t afraid to experiment. On their second American tour, the band added keyboard player Mickey Gallagher and booked R&B artists like Bo Diddley, Sam & Dave, Lee Dorsey and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins as openers. They have also toured with country singer-songwriter Joe Ely and The Cramps, a psychobilly band.

Their vast and diverse love of music really naturally led them to record their most famous release – the double album, London Calling. The album covered rockabilly, New Orleans R&B, rock and reggae, launched into world-wide popularity at number 9 on the U.K. charts and number 27 on the U.S. charts with the strength of its anthemic title track.

In 1980, the semi-documentary Rude Boy was released in England, which was about a fan/roadie named Ray Gange and his experiences with The Clash and actually featured the band playing themselves.

Afterwards, the band released follow-ups to London Calling, including the Black Market Clash EP and the triple-album Sandinista!. Terry Chimes, the band’s original drummer, came back onboard for the release of The Clash’s most successful album, Combat Rock, in 1982. The album reached number 2 in the UK and entered the Top 10 in the U.S., mainly due to the Top 10 hit, “Rock the Casbah.”

The band toured with The Who on their farewell tour and were often booed off stage during the tour, even though their album continued to be successful. Perhaps it was a harbinger of what was to come as the lineup started to fall apart. Chimes was again kicked out of the band in 1983 and replaced by former Cold Fish drummer Pete Howard. The Clash’s last major appearance ended up being a headlining slot at the U.S. Festival in California because Strummer and Simonon soon parted ways with Mick Jones.

In 1984, Jones went on to form Big Audio Dynamite. That same year, The Clash brought on guitarists Vince White and Nick Sheppard to replace Jones, but the new lineup never really took off. The band released their final album, Cut the Crap, in 1985, but received poor reviews. Later Strummer and Simonon denounced the album and officially broke up the band in 1986.

In November of 2002, Jones and Strummer reunited on stage for the first time in two decades to perform three Clash songs. It was for the encore of a Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros benefit show in London. Unfortunately, rumors and hopes for a Clash reunion ended when Strummer suddenly died of a heart attack the next month.